Krosana

We need to see if the Mutagen will respond to nanobots and stem cells. Also after our first round of research, we have produced a report.

Mutagen, The Parasite, or The Plague is a virulent species of parasite, is an anomaly to all known biology, and an anomaly to regular life. This may be explained by the fact that it is most likely an extragalactic species, originating from a different galaxy. It is extremely adaptive, and mutates hosts through different stages of accelerated "evolution," where the body of biomatter accelerates its own evolution to the point of a massive biological breakdown, whereby the infection can first take place. The species can reproduce without host bodies, though this is described as a last-ditch effort, and only performed by pure mutated forms.

The only known pathway for Mutagenic reproduction and survival is by the infestation and assimilation of other species. They do this through a form of cellular reproduction known as lysogenic replication, where the viral cells infect host cells with their own genetic code, mutating the host cells into viral forms.

Capable of surviving extreme environments ranging from -130 to +150 degrees Celsius and even underwater (in early stages of life), the Mutagen can withstand the harsh environments of all known colonised planets.

It would seem that the Flood can infect any living organism, but that they prefer hosts with a large brain capacity to accelerate the formation and expansion of the Hivemind Intelligence(Large intelligent mass) and the group intelligence as a whole. They are only as intelligent as the beings they infect; the more cunning the enemy, the more dangerous the Mutant will be.

Understood and thank you for the sharing of data. We will be sharing the requested materials as well as what we have come to the conclusion of and substances that we have been able to manipulate the mutagenic with and into.

guest13

We need to see if the Mutagen will respond to nanobots and stem cells. Also after our first round of research, we have produced a report.

Mutagen, The Parasite, or The Plague is a virulent species of parasite, is an anomaly to all known biology, and an anomaly to regular life. This may be explained by the fact that it is most likely an extragalactic species, originating from a different galaxy. It is extremely adaptive, and mutates hosts through different stages of accelerated "evolution," where the body of biomatter accelerates its own evolution to the point of a massive biological breakdown, whereby the infection can first take place. The species can reproduce without host bodies, though this is described as a last-ditch effort, and only performed by pure mutated forms.

The only known pathway for Flood reproduction and survival is by the infestation and assimilation of other species. They do this through a form of cellular reproduction known as lysogenic replication, where the viral cells infect host cells with their own genetic code, mutating the host cells into viral forms.

Capable of surviving extreme environments ranging from -130 to +150 degrees Celsius and even underwater (in early stages of life), the Flood can withstand the harsh environments of all known colonised planets.

It would seem that the Flood can infect any living organism, but that they prefer hosts with a large brain capacity to accelerate the formation and expansion of the Hivemind Intelligence(Large intelligent mass) and the group intelligence as a whole. They are only as intelligent as the beings they infect; the more cunning the enemy, the more dangerous the Flood will be.

OOC: Yes, it is. They can be biomechanically linked to a nanobot provided that certain biomechanical conditions are met. Actually, we managed to build an entire legion of super soldiers that is imbued with viral living armor from the cellular level. That living armor serves as an internal main frame for the nanobot filled exo skeleton. The nano exo skeleton, in return, supports the stats augmenters that is carefully connected to the living armor as well.

Logged

Krosana

Infection forms selectively target other species that possess sentient intelligence and are of sufficient biomass, and can infest living or lightly wounded dead bodies. Infection forms have long tendrils that pierce the skin of the host and find their way to the spinal cord. They then synchronize with the host, matching frequencies with the host's nervous system and killing them almost instantly. From there, they take control of the host body, replacing whatever mind originally resided there with the ravenous and voracious psyche of the Mutagen, although certain higher-level cognitive abilities, such as combat techniques and technical knowledge which may be useful, are retained, scanned from the victim's brain after death. Despite this lingering of certain memories, no trace of the original mind's personality remains; only a simplistic and primal urge to assimilate or destroy other species drives the organism after infection. In isolated cases, such as when the Mutagen seek very specific information from an individual's mind, they utilise an alternate, undescribed method of infestation that does not kill the host immediately; this allows the Mutagen to "burrow" into the host's mind, eventually giving them access to the entire scope of the host's memories. This has only been specifically seen when the Mutagen sought information from Commander Foha Tsukino, such as the location of Krosana or a starship. In addition, if the Infection Form that initiates assimilation is extremely aged or damaged somehow, the death of the host can be removed from the equation entirely; Private Coda Akihito suffered such a fate, remaining alive and fully aware of his situation despite the mutation of his body, even exhibiting limited control over his body at times when the Mutant instincts were dormant.

If a greater Mutagenic intelligence, such as a Hivemind, is activated, then it is capable of overriding the primitive instincts of all other Mutant forms, taking direct control of each and every Mutant organism and making them much more dangerous, a result of being guided by a sentient mind. It is unknown what would have happened to a still-living host such as Private Akihito when a Hivemind attempted to influence control over it, as no living hosts were ever encountered after the activation of a Hivemind.

guest13

Infection forms selectively target other species that possess sentient intelligence and are of sufficient biomass, and can infest living or lightly wounded dead bodies. Infection forms have long tendrils that pierce the skin of the host and find their way to the spinal cord. They then synchronize with the host, matching frequencies with the host's nervous system and killing them almost instantly. From there, they take control of the host body, replacing whatever mind originally resided there with the ravenous and voracious psyche of the Mutagen, although certain higher-level cognitive abilities, such as combat techniques and technical knowledge which may be useful, are retained, scanned from the victim's brain after death. Despite this lingering of certain memories, no trace of the original mind's personality remains; only a simplistic and primal urge to assimilate or destroy other species drives the organism after infection. In isolated cases, such as when the Mutagen seek very specific information from an individual's mind, they utilise an alternate, undescribed method of infestation that does not kill the host immediately; this allows the Mutagen to "burrow" into the host's mind, eventually giving them access to the entire scope of the host's memories. This has only been specifically seen when the Mutagen sought information from Commander Foha Tsukino, such as the location of Krosana or a starship. In addition, if the Infection Form that initiates assimilation is extremely aged or damaged somehow, the death of the host can be removed from the equation entirely; Private Coda Akihito suffered such a fate, remaining alive and fully aware of his situation despite the mutation of his body, even exhibiting limited control over his body at times when the Mutant instincts were dormant.

If a greater Mutagenic intelligence, such as a Hivemind, is activated, then it is capable of overriding the primitive instincts of all other Mutant forms, taking direct control of each and every Mutant organism and making them much more dangerous, a result of being guided by a sentient mind. It is unknown what would have happened to a still-living host such as Private Akihito when a Hivemind attempted to influence control over it, as no living hosts were ever encountered after the activation of a Hivemind.

I: Feral stage is the lowest form: communicating via pheromones, and have the natural instinct to harvest enough calcium to establish a viable Hivemind.

II: Coordinated stage is when the Mutagen becomes truly dangerous; they are now controlled by the Hivemind that was created in the first stage.

III: Interstellar stage allows the Mutagen to take control of most technology and spread throughout the galaxy to infect more hosts.

IV: Intergalactic is the last known stage the Mutagen enters, theoretically, in which it utilizes all captured technology to depart to uninfected galaxies to further replicate.

However, due to the recent advancements in genetics and molecular bio-technology, the leading scientists of the Hegemony have successfully altered the genome of the virus, splicing the original RNA sequence with a synthesized RNA code made from the lab. This results in the virus being fully controllable, losing its parasitic and invasive control of the host while still having the ability to synchronize with the host's brain frequency.

This, together with the nanobot-exoskeleton with stat augmenters, gave rise to an entirely new breed of super soldiers.

Krosana

PhysiologyWhile baseline neurological assimilation is the same regardless of host species, The Mutgen's infestation includes physiological mutilation, which is species-specific.

Higher-level species capable of combat, such as Humans, Krosanians, or Mov'ea(Species the made the Krosanians and their planet) are selectively infected to become Combat Forms. Combat Forms retain the general profile of their original species, although they are significantly mutated. Organ systems are corrupted, organ-specific functions are decentralised, and body cavities are decayed, making hitbox-selective incapacitation impossible; organ functions are decentralised, thus, decapitation does not kill a combat form. Furthermore, highly area-specific munitions, such as sniper rifle projectiles, are completely ineffective, as picking off selective areas of a combat form leads to no wide-scale physiological impediments, and the projectile will punch through the decayed flesh rapidly, exiting through the other side of the combat form without consequence.

Combat forms also generate tentacles very quickly without regard for the skeletal structure of the host, with tentacles protruding from the combat form at odd locations, typically localised to the chest axial regions, such as the neck, armpits, or torso. A single arm is oftentimes mutated to a claw like or tentacle-like structure that splits into multiple angular, hand-like structures, replacing the hand's usage, though it will still be there. The musculature of the combat form dramatically changes as well, and the form is given prodigious arm and leg strength, allowing for heavy blows with its arm-like structures and for incredible speed and jumping height with its legs. The Flood are also prodigious climbers, able to scamper on walls with little hindrance to the organism. Metabolic requirements, however, appear to be extreme on the organism: blood vessels become extremely prominent on the surface of the Combat Form, with thick and distinct blood-colored vessels spawning all across the creature's surface, most prominently so on the head.

Countermeasures

There is no confirmed way to effectively prevent a Mutant infection once an Infection Form infects a host, and there is no way to reverse the effects of Mutant infection. However, there are known medical conditions that scramble the neural frequencies of the host (apparently without major negative manifestations in the host) which subsequently prevents Mutagenic infection. For example, Mutagenic infection is impossible in a host that has contracted 'Soren's Syndrome', a neurological condition caused by radiological exposure that creates electrical anomalies in the nervous system. Soren's Syndrome is a common side effect of the biologically enhancing drugs used in the GENGHIS Programme, the program responsible for creating the Super Soldiers of Krosana. It has been suggested that the scrambling of neural frequencies caused by Soren's Syndrome and similar conditions renders an Infection Form incapable of tapping into the host's nervous system to kill and infect him or her. The Infection Form is therefore unable to enact any large-scale physiological mutation; however, some Mutant DNA is still spliced with the host's DNA, apparently imparting the host with enhanced regenerative capabilities. Zukan Akutagawa, a Soren's Syndrome patient, was the only a survivor after an outbreak in the containment facility on Installation 04 where The Mutagen attacked two squads of Krosana Space Command Pilots. However, the Soren's Syndrome was a story invented to cover his past in the GENGHIS Programme and the side-effects of his (experimental) enhancements, so the validity of each as a countermeasure against Mutangenic infection is questionable.

While Soren's Syndrome, if left untreated, can leave the patient immune to the Mutant infection, the disease will prove fatal within a couple of years. It was once stated that there is a one in a billion chance that research, from someone so inflicted with Soren's Syndrome in a way that they cannot be infected, could be carried on to produce a cure.

Since the Mutagen is a parasitic life form, they depend on other organisms for survival. Thus, the only logical foolproof way to eliminate them permanently is to take away their food sources. The Mov'ea attempted this by bombing large population centers, but this was seen as one of their last resorts and as such was performed too late in the war to make much difference. The absolute last resort was the use of the Exodus installations, which effectively destroyed all life in the galaxy and starved the Mutagen into extinction. However, the Mov'ea's plan included some measures to preserve sentient life and return them to their home planets, allowing the Mutagen's "food source" to persist. Unfortunately, at the same time, specimens of Mutagen spore cells were kept for analysis on the Exodus Installations, allowing the threat of the Mutagen to be merely forestalled, not eradicated.

Environmental stimuli seem to have an effect on Mutagen metabolism. Exodus installations typically artificially incorporate low temperature into environments suffering Mutant outbreak and to create natural obstacles to Mutagen progress, regarded as Quarantine zones. At least one Mutagen Research Facility used low temperatures to keep its specimens inactive and dormant as it studied them. This may be the reasoning behind keeping Installation Control Rooms in low degree weather, impeding their occupation by the Mutagen. The Mutagen are also vulnerable to temperatures on the other end of the spectrum. Plasma weapons will burn through them, as well as Sentinel Beams, which were specially designed to counter the Mutants, indicating that the Mov'ea had determined energy weapons to be the best 'basic countermeasure' available to fight the Mutants. It may be a side-effect of the Mutagen's conversion of the body into biomass, breaking down cellular integrity and increasing flammability.

There was a Mov'ean belief that during their final years, Prehistoric Krosana had found a cure to the Plague. In spite of massive efforts to recover the data, it was either lost or destroyed.

The lost cure altered the DNA of inoculated humans in a manner that upon infection, the altered DNA would act as a corruptive catalyst when bonded with the aggressive Mutagen; resulting in the physiological degradation of the Mutagen's neural inhibitions, to the extent that when this Mutagen entity arose, it would consume all biological entities - including other Mutant (both the traditional and Krosanian-mutated specimens), which would in turn awaken as more altered organisms, thus self-perpetuating the disease into proportions sufficient to cause genocide through mass cannibalistic attrition.

Krosana injected one third of their population with the Mutagen and then placed themselves in the Mutangen's path, ensuring the Mutant's would assimilate the disease. The plan worked, and the Mutant were successfully stopped.